


Union and Reunions

by Timetravelersunited



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Also I love them, Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, Fluff with a dash of angst, James "Rhodey" Rhodes is a Good Bro, M/M, Original characters because I don't know who they went to college with, Reunions, School Reunion, Secret Relationship, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tooth Rotting Fluff, please read my bad fanfiction, rhodey is a saint, they need a break, they're married
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-27
Updated: 2018-02-27
Packaged: 2019-03-24 14:05:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13812753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Timetravelersunited/pseuds/Timetravelersunited
Summary: It had been almost two years since the 'civil war' as the media had dubbed it, and Tony needed a break. Not that he realized that.





	Union and Reunions

**Author's Note:**

> Hello Everyone! This work is a gift for kayliedkid on discord for the TDSL valentines day exchange.  
> Prompts: Tony going on a vacation and learning how to relax and not work, Tony/Rhodey going to an MIT reunion and stealing the night with their perfection.  
> I sort of mixed the two and interpreted it as I pleased (I hope you still like it!)

It had been almost two years since the 'civil war' as the media had dubbed it, and Tony needed a break. Not that he realized that. He seemed to be convinced that if he took a break everything he had been trying to build would fall apart. And it might, the way everyone was piling things onto him. The Accords council was having him run from meeting to meeting to discuss the possible pardons for the rouge Avengers that Tony had been fighting tooth and nail for since the beginning. Rhodey had told him not to, but according to him "the world needs the Avengers". He felt as if he missed a meeting that key decisions would be made without him and the pardons would never be pushed through. That plus regular updates for SI and gear for the newly rebuilt SHIELD and Tony was working himself raw. He barely slept or ate and when he did sleep he had horrible nightmares, so he worked. All this, and he was still insisting on upgrading Rhodey's braces.

  
"Sourpatch, listen, you know that annoying clicking sound your braces have been making recently? It's because one of the gears is slipping and I know I can fix it!"

  
"No, Tones. I know you've been down here for at least forty-eight hours and you have neither slept nor eaten during that time. So you are going to come upstairs, shower, eat and sleep. The reunion is tomorrow and we. are. going."

  
"But Rhodey-"

  
"No buts. I will drag you upstairs if I have to." Rhodey crosses the room from where he was leaning against one of the lab tables. He walks up to Tony and puts one hand on either side of him to lean on the table behind him. To Tony's mild annoyance, even leaning down Rhodey's face was still about three inches above his so he had to look up slightly. "Look Tony," Rhodey says, "I know how you feel about taking time off right now but it's only a weekend and it's been scheduled for months. The world isn't going to catch on fire while we're at the reunion. So take a break and have fun with me."

  
"....fine."

  
"Great. Now go take a shower, you need it." Rhodey leaves to the sounds of Tony’s loud protests that no, he does not need a shower (he probably does).

  
************

  
The next morning Tony stumbles into the kitchen to find Rhodey making breakfast. He walks over to the coffee maker and pours himself a cup. After he takes a sip he turns around and leans on the counter to watch Rhodey cooking. The silence is only broken by the sizzling coming from the pan or the occasional shuffle as Rhodey moves around the stove.

  
"Hey" Tony says, his voice still rough from sleep.

  
"Hey"

  
"What time do we have to leave by?" He asks, taking another sip of his coffee.

  
“About ten. It's a four and a half hour drive and I want to be to the hotel by two so we have time to mess around. I was thinking we could go out for dinner and then stay in at the hotel. The reunion is at nine the next day." Rhodey starts serving up the food as he speaks.

  
"Why are we driving again? I own several private jets that could get us there much faster."

  
"Because. The drive is one of the best parts of the experience. You get to spend four hours doing nothing in a vehicle. What's not to like?"

  
"Everything.”

  
************

  
As soon as they get to the hotel Tony drops his bag on the floor and flops face first onto the bed. Rhodey chuckles as he sets his own bag down and flops onto the bed next to him. “I never knew sitting in a car for four hours could be so tiring.” Tony mutters into the covers.

  
“Well at least we’re here now. Do you still want to go out for dinner or would you rather just hang out here?” Rhodey asks. Tony rolls onto his side to face Rhodey and thinks for a moment.

  
“Dinner sounds nice. Do I get to know where you’re planning to take me?”

  
“Nope. You’ve taken me to dinner so many times but this time I’m taking you out and I’m paying.”

  
“Rhodey I’m literally a billionaire.”

  
“Yes, you are. But even billionaires should be treated to things sometimes.”

  
“That’s the point. I could literally treat myself to anything.”

  
“The dinner itself is’t the point, it’s the sentiment. If you give me something or build me something you’re saying ‘I love you and I want to give you this thing because I know you like this sort of thing or that you need it’ so I’m going to reciprocate by buying you dinner.”

  
“I don’t deserve you.”

  
“Uh oh I sense self deprecation, you know what I have to do.” Rhodey crawls over the small distance between them to wrap him up in a hug. He begins to plant chaste kisses all over Tony’s face, his cheeks, eyelids, nose, until Tony is laughing and trying to gently shove him away.

  
“Cut it out Rhodey!” Rhodey pulls back slightly to look at him.

  
“Not until you say it.”

  
“Fine! Fine, I deserve you! Now stop it before I’m laughing too hard to breath.” Rhodey smiles and gives him one last kiss on the cheek before he rolls off the bed and stands up.

  
“C’mon, we don’t want to miss our reservation”

  
“You made a reservation???”

  
************

  
The restaurant is cozy without being suffocating, the walls are a light beige and the floor is a dark wood. The atmosphere is almost… romantic, a candle burning at each table and a vase with a rose in it as the centerpiece. The waiter leads them to a table in the back near a window that faces the street outside. “Nice place.” Tony comments as the waiter walks away. Rhodey smiles and picks up his menu.

  
“I thought you’d like it, I saw it was nearby when I was looking into the hotel. It had good reviews and seemed like a nice place. Romantic.” Rhodey winks at Tony.

  
“Did you just…wink at me?” Rhodey turns the page of his menu as his smile morphs into a smirk.

  
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Tony squints at him, “Don’t you think the chicken parm looks good? I think I’ll order that, any idea what you’re getting?” Tony opens his menu and scans over the options,  
“I think I’ll go with the spaghetti. Oh and Rhodey?”

  
“Hmm?”

  
“Two can play at this game.” The waiter comes back to take their orders. While they wait for their food they make small talk with an underlying air of flirtatiousness. In the cozy interior of the restaurant it’s easy for them to forget about the outside world, about everything that’s going on. But the media hasn’t forgotten. And they’re always looking for a story.

  
Well, as you see, the world didn’t actually know that Tony and Rhodey were in a relationship, much less married. They hadn’t really made any attempt to hide it but the media had been transfixed on the ‘Tony Stark; Playboy’ persona and couldn’t see what was right in front of them. So to the media and almost everyone except for a few select individuals they were ‘Tony Stark and James Rhodes; Best Friends’. So you might be able to imagine what’s going to happen after that reporter runs a story with the picture they snapped through the window of a cozy italian restaurant in Massachusetts. But, for now, Tony and Rhodey remain oblivious in their own little bubble of comfort and fun.

  
************

  
When they get home they’re both wiped out from the drive and following activities so Tony changes into and old shirt to sleep in while Rhodey goes to take a shower. He climbs into ‘his’ side of the bed and decides to check his phone while waiting for Rhodey to come to bed. To his confusion, he finds that he has seven missed calls from Pepper as well as a multitude of texts. He taps her contact to call her back and she answers almost immediately.

  
“I’ve been trying to call you for an hour! Where have you been!?” Pepper yells. Tony moves the phone slightly farther away from his ear with a grimace.

  
“Calm down Pep, I was just out with Rhodey at a restaurant.”

  
“That’s the problem! Check your news feed.” Tony puts the phone on speaker and opens up his news feed, only for the first thing he sees to be a picture of Rhodey and him through the window of the restaurant. In the picture he’s obviously laughing at something Rhodey said, Rhodey is smiling at him with a look of pure adoration and their fingers are intertwined on the table. It’s obvious that they’re more than friends, made even more obvious by the fact that they had decided to wear their wedding rings; which are glinting in the candlelight in the picture.

  
“Oh no.”

  
“Yes, Tony. Oh no is right. Stock has dropped very slightly since this story came out and it’s on its way to being back up already but the board is freaking out. The tabloids are already running outlandish stories ‘Tony Stark’s Secret Love affair’ ‘Tony Stark Unfaithful? Tally of How Many Times He’s Cheated On His Secret Lover’ there are more but you get the gist of it. We’ve tried running damage control but the story spread too fast. By morning everyone in the world is going to know.” Tony feels sick. They had planned to come out eventually but they were planning on doing it once this was all over. There were bound to be press conferences, interviews, and all a manner of media appearances and lies. The public would never believe he hadn’t cheated on Rhodey. Their marriage would forever be tainted by the reminder of this story. When couples divorced over stuff like this it only lingered for a month or so, but if they didn’t it stuck around much, much longer. “Tony?” Pepper’s concerned voice comes over the phone.

  
“I’m still here Pep, just trying to… process is all.” Tony pinches his nose bridge, takes the phone off speaker and holds it up to his ear. “How long do you think we can put off the interviews for?”

  
“Long enough that Rhodey and you can enjoy the rest of your vacation. Don’t let this ruin your time off.” Tony gives a rueful smile thinking about all the questions they are going to get at the reunion.

  
“I’ll try Pep. Will that be all Miss Potts?” Tony can almost hear Pepper’s smile through the phone.

  
“That will be all Mister Stark.” Tony smiles slightly as he hangs up. Just as he does, he hears the water switch off in the bathroom. Rhodey walk out in a t-shirt and boxers with a towel around his neck. As soon as he walks in Tony gets up from the bed and throws his arms around his neck. Rhodey laughs as his hands automatically go to Tony’s waist.

  
“Miss me?” Rhodey smiles down at Tony, but he quickly realizes that something is wrong when Tony doesn’t retort and simply keeps his face pressed against Rhodey’s chest. “Hey, Tones what’s wrong?” Tony wordlessly take a step back and turns on his phone. He hands it to Rhodey and goes right back to hugging him so he doesn’t have to see his face when he reads the things that the media is saying about them.

  
Rhodey takes Tony’s phone in one hand and uses the other to rub circles into Tony’s back. As he reads the titles on the articles along with some of the comments on them his confusion slowly morphs into anger. Not at Tony, never at Tony. But at the media. How could they be saying so many horrible things about Tony and their marriage? How could they even think these things? Rhodey turns off the phone and tosses it onto the bed. He gently set his hands on Tony’s shoulders and presses him back. Tony’s arms drop to his sides but he keeps his eyes fixed on the floor. “Hey Tony, look at me,” Tony glances up from the floor and Rhodey takes his chance. He moves his hands up to cradle Tony’s face and looks right into his eyes “Nothing they are saying about you is true. I know you’ve never cheated on me and never will. We’re happy together and we’ll stay that way.” He knows it will take more than that to completely convince Tony but for now, the watery smile Tony gives him is enough. Rhodey slowly leans down, giving Tony plenty of time to lean away, but instead Tony meets him halfway. The kiss is gentle but long, conveying every feeling that neither of them can put into words. When they pulled apart for air Rhodey studied Tony’s expression but only found adoration and exhaustion. “I think it’s time for some of us to go to bed. And by ‘some of us’ I mean us.” Rhodey sits down on the bed and Tony helps him take off his braces and lifts his legs onto the bed. Tony goes around to the other side and climbs in, immediately snuggling up to Rhodey and laying his head on his chest. Tony drifts off to the sound of Rhodey’s heartbeat and for once has a dreamless, peaceful night.

  
************

  
The reunion is being held in a large convention hall with tables and chairs set up along the sides of the room. There is a snack table and a drink table as well as a bar along the back wall. All around are people mingling and talking in little groups. Tony plans to just stick with Rhodey and try to avoid questions but that plan is quickly scrapped when he hears someone calling his name. “Tony! Hey! Hey!” He looks in the direction of the voice to see a small woman with tightly coiled curly hair waving her arms wildly from a nearby table. “Yeah! You! It’s me Deanna! We did third year python programming together! Bring your husband! Come on!” At this point she’s wildly beconning to them so they walk over and each pull out a chair at the table, which is occupied by various other people they had known throughout the years. Tony scans their faces and recalls the name of each person in turn. Mary, David, Douglass, Erik, Meg, and of course, Deanna. As soon as they sit down the conversation at the table stops and everyone’s eyes except David’s (whose face is buried in his hands for whatever reason) lands on them.  
Deanna gestures to them and then to the table, “Tony and Rhodey this is David, Meg, Erik, Douglass, and Mary. Everyone, this is Tony and Rhodey.” There is a small chorus of hello’s and waves from everyone before silence settles, but not for long.

  
“So…” Douglass says steepling his fingers. “When did you two tie the knot?”

  
“Douglass!” Yells Erick as he swats him on the arm, “I’m so sorry. Douglass is bad at being subtle.”

  
“It’s ok,” Rhodey says “We got married in 2006.” Immediately after this statement Mary pumps her fist and everyone groans and pulls out ten dollars which they each pass to her. When Mary notices their confusion she sheepishly puts the tens in her purse and explains.

  
“We’ve had a bet on when you two would get married since 1992. I just won it.”

  
“...What?” Asks Tony “But… we were trying so hard to be subtle.”

  
David snorts and takes his face out of his hands. “Yeah, subtle like an elephant. Douglass and Erik used to make out in the hallways and they were more subtle than you two.”

  
“I literally cannot comprehend how the media has remained oblivious for this long,” Meg says resting her chin on her hand, “I mean everyone thought you were dating before you ever really were, and we may be geniousess. But really? It took the media twenty-six years? I mean how oblivious can you be?”

  
“Obviously more oblivious than we thought.” chips in Deanna, “Now what do you all say about finding Ned from second year robotics and rubbing in his face how successful we all are? He always told us that us ‘queers’ would never amount to anything so let’s go prove him wrong.” With agreement all around the group moves out into the center of the room. The rest of the reunion is spent laughing, talking and smiling. All of their old friends agree that the media must be increasingly stupid to think some of the things that are in the tabloids. The reunion is one of the best experiences that both Tony and Rhodey have had in a long time, but good things must always come to an end. And, after hugs and tearful goodbyes it’s over. Tony and Rhodey climb into the car to start the drive back home.

  
************  
Three Days Later  
************

  
Tony tries not to shield his eyes with his hand as the cameras start flashing when he walks onstage. This press conference is going to be one of many held in the near future as news of the Accords Council passing the pardons for the rouge Avengers had reached the press and damage control was needed. Tony waved his hands to try to quiet the reporters yelling questions but the din only lessened slightly. He begins to randomly select reporters and after about ten different questions he points to a female reporter in the front wearing a blue blouse. “Yes, from the lady in the front.”

  
“Mr. Stark if I may, could we get any information about the articles that claim you are indeed married to James Rhodes?”

  
“Well,” he says, “I can confirm that I have been married for thirteen years, but I was under the impression that we were both Mr. Rhodes.” He smiles as the room explodes with noise. “No further questions.”


End file.
